With another week of the Illinois’ high school baseball season behind us, it’s time for our second update to our ‘Large School’ rankings. 

At ScoutConnect, we break our IHSA rankings into two different categories, grouping the 3A and 4A into a ‘Large’ school bucket, while doing the same for the 1A and 2A programs as ‘Small’ schools.

For a look at last week’s rankings, click HERE.

It’s important to note that these rankings do not cover the entire state. Our coverage map extends from Peoria on down, and only teams that fall underneath the Peoria line on the state map will be included within our rankings all season long. It’s also important to note that these are just initial rankings, and they will fluctuate throughout as the season rolls on and gameplay starts. 

With that being said, continue reading below to learn more about movement inside our top-15, some key upcoming matchups, and more. 

THE TOP FIVE…

+ Normal Community (13-1) maintains the No. 1 spot on our rankings, something they’ve held since the start of the spring season. The Ironmen once again had an undefeated week, sweeping through Danville (16-3, 10-0) in a conference set, with an extra-innings win over Morton (8-7) sandwiched between. Additionally, Normal Community added wins against Champaign Central (10-0) and Bradley-Bourbonnais (19-9). 

+ Triad (13-3) bumps up one spot, now at No. 2, in this update. The Knights went 3-1 on the week, taking a Mississippi Valley Conference series over Highland (12-5, 10-3) before taking their annual trip to Kentucky, where they beat Marshall County (4-3) and fell to powerhouse McCracken County 10-8. 

+ Normal U-High (14-2) has done nothing but climb since they debuted in the rankings. They jumped up to No. 4 last week, and they’re on the rise again, slotting up one tick to No. 3 this time around. The Pioneers went 2-1 on the week, taking down Rochester (11-0) and Springfield (6-2) before dropping a game to top-ranked ‘Small School’ St. Joseph-Ogden (7-5). 

+ Another big riser is Dunlap (14-3), as the Eagles crack into the top five for the first time this spring, now at No. 4. They’ve won 13 straight games, sweeping a conference series over Limestone (2-1, 5-3) with a victory over Moline (20-9) as well. Dunlap’s biggest test to date comes this week, as they’ll draw East Peoria twice to start this week off. 

+ Rounding out our top five is Sacred-Heart Griffin (12-5), who stays put in the same place they were a week ago. The Cyclones played three tough opponents and played all three games close. They went 1-2 on the week, falling to Springfield (6-5) and ‘Small School’ ranked Tolono Unity (3-0), but they also took down one of the state’s top 2A teams in Teutopolis, beating the Wooden Shoes 8-3. 

ON THE RISE…

+ Mascoutah (14-1) continues to climb up our board as well, now sitting at No. 6 overall. After debuting their brand new turf field this week, the Indians went 3-1, sweeping a conference series over Jersey (7-0, 2-0) with a Friday night victory over Althoff Catholic (6-1) mixed in as well. They did suffer their first loss of the spring, dropping a Saturday contest to Breese Central (2-1). 

+ Edwardsville (9-6) has turned things around and is now on the climb, bumping up two spots to No. 7 on our board this week. The Tigers have won five straight games and remained undefeated in league play this week, taking both games over O’Fallon (7-1, 15-10) in a massive Southwestern Conference series. As they continue to get healthier, Edwardsville is likely to only get stronger, and the Tigers are slowly looking like the top-ranked preseason team we tabbed them a month ago. 

+ Winners of 11 straight, Glenwood (13-2) jumps up to No. 9 overall, and is continuing to look like the perennial central Illinois powerhouse we’re used to seeing. The Titans had an impressive week, beating Routt Catholic (9-2) and ranked Mt. Zion (9-6), while also taking down Lanphier (14-4). 

+ No. 13 Mt. Zion (10-4) and No. 14 Washington (10-5) are each climbing up a spot on our board this update. The Braves won both of their Apollo Conference games over Effingham (3-2, 8-3) and also took down St. Teresa, while falling to ranked Glenwood (9-6) towards the week’s latter half. Washington only played twice, but they won both games, beating Pekin (12-2, 12-2) in conference play. 

FALLING DOWN…

+ The biggest faller this week is O’Fallon (11-6), as the Panthers fall six spots, sitting at No. 8 this time around. They went winless this week, dropping both Southwestern Conference games to Edwardsville (7-1, 15-10), while also losing a cross-state matchup to CBC (8-2) on Saturday. Our staff isn’t worried about O’Fallon, and we still view the Panthers as a real 4A contender.

+ Waterloo (8-3) drops down three spots, sitting at No. 10, though their fall is more a result of other teams rising, and less so about the Bulldogs on-field play this past week. Waterloo only played one game, a 7-6 conference loss to Civic Memorial. 

+ Morton (10-5) bumps down two ticks as the last team in on our rankings at No. 15. The Potters split their conference series with Metamora (5-1 W, 5-1 L) and had No. 1 Normal Community on the ropes, though eventually fell to the Ironmen 8-7 in extra-innings.

STAYING PUT…

+ No. 11 East Peoria (11-4) and No. 12 Mahomet-Seymour (13-3) are sticking in their same spots from last week. The Raiders swept Canton (11-1, 12-1) in conference, picking up a win over Olympia (14-4) on the week as well. Our staff is excited to check in on the Raiders tomorrow, as they’ll host No. 4 Dunlap in game one of a massive conference series. Mahomet-Seymour went 3-1 on their week, falling to Tolono Unity (7-1) to start the week, but bouncing back nicely with a sweep of Mattoon (16-1, 14-4) and also beating Gibson City Melvin Sibley (15-0).